Suburban Chicago psychologist facing federal charges

CHICAGO (AP) - A suburban Chicago psychologist faces federal charges for allegedly submitting false claims to private insurers and Medicare.

A U.S. attorney's office statement says 66-year-old Pamela Antell, of Deerfield, pleaded not guilty at her Tuesday arraignment. Neither the statement nor charging documents provide a name of an attorney for Antell.

An indictment charges her with five counts of health care fraud and three of aggravated identity theft. A conviction on just one count of health care fraud carries up to ten years in prison.

Prosecutors say Antell in some instances wasn't even in Illinois at times she said she'd provided services at her Glenview psychology practice. They allege she used names of patients without their knowledge to create fictitious claims.

Her next status hearing in Chicago federal court is Oct. 24.